Bridesmaid gown for the wedding of Mary Seymour Adams, daughter of donor, and George Berkely Young at St. James Episcopal Church, March 24, 1944. The bridesmaids were: Mrs. Cyrus Hall (Harriet Haynes) Adams III; Mrs. Gerald V. (Elizabeth Armour)...
Worn by donor's mother Elise Marie Roach (born February 19, 1921) at her wedding to John Edward Cummens at the Chicago Lawn Methodist Church (63rd Street and St. Louis Avenue) on October 15, 1941. She purchased the dress at a shop near the...
Worn by Miss Honore O'Shea, daughter of James J. O'Shea and Honore Pyne O'Shea, when she married donor's father, John J. Sullivan, November 10, 1887 at Holy Family Church, Roosevelt and May Street, Chicago.
Purchased by donor in the late Spring or Summer 1969 from Saks Fifth Avenue (sent from NYC). Worn to the Boys Club Ball at the Shedd Aquarium when the donor was the Chairman of the Ball. Subsequently worn to North Shore debut parties and parties...
James designed this dress for New Yorker Millicent Rogers in 1949. Two year later the design appeared in Vogue magazine, when it was photographed by Horst and included in James's "black and white" collection. James described the dress as a...
Designed initially in black silk chiffon and tulle, this gown became James's most executed custom order. Vogue featured the garment in 1951. James's wife, Nancy, wore it in the mid 1950s and he created at least one version with a cocktail-length...
In 1934, as James's reputation as a dressmaker was growing, his mother arranged for a showing of his collection at Marshall Field and Company, Chicago's socialites "came to see their insouciant young friend, whose hats were thought clever but whose...
Mrs.Donnelley was one of James's first clients and became aware of his talents through her friend, James's mother, Louise Brega James. Many of James's first clients were friends of his mother and his family who lived in Chicago dating back to the...
Mrs.Donnelley was one of James's first clients and became aware of his talents through her friend, James's mother, Louise Brega James. Many of James's first clients were friends of his mother and his family who lived in Chicago dating back to the...
In the late 1950s, James created a limited number of designs for Albrecht Furs using a faux fur called Borgana, which was supplied and marketed by the company. Although James liked to experiment with manmade materials for the interiors of his...
In James's ranking of his top four creations, the Pagoda came in at number four for its emphasis on the "fine art of tailoring." Originally designed in 1954, Harper's Bazaar featured the suit in its July 1955 issue, the same year it was purchased...
During a visit to the Museum in 1974, James noted that this dress was originally created for Marjorie Merriweather Post. A review of the interior shows numerous alterations, including a large reduction in the overall size of the torso and hips. ...
This dress is called Infanta, or sometimes Williamsburg, referring to skirts worn at two different times in history. Infanta was a title used by royal women in the seventeenth century Spanish court, whose wide skirts are captured in paintings by...
This coat was once a set of drapes that hung in the apartment of Mrs. Potter Palmer II where Mrs. Eugene Davidson moved following Mrs. Palmer's death. The drapes did not suit Mrs, Davidson, so she took them to James and asked him to create a coat...
